Apparatus for an endless adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for continuous adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, wherein the adjustment of the working stroke is simplified and rendered easier. A stroke adjustment spindle, mounted in a crank ring which is rigidly connected with a driven crank hub, in addition to manual operation, is further adjustable by an adjustment drive, preferably by a bevel gear drive, movable selectively in one or in the other opposite rotary adjustment direction. This adjustment is brought about by sitting the driving or control wheel of this double gear drive at one end of a control shaft, projecting axially through the driven crank hub and likewise driven with the latter, which control shaft is coupled for a joint drive at its counter end and is as well axially slidable on the latter. The control shaft receives an engaging element operable from the outside by means of an engaging lever arrested in the rest position and manually operable, which engaging element, depending upon the amount of the stroke adjustment, cooperates either with a coupling ring disc immovable in space, preferably on the side of the coupling housing, and disposed with an axial distance, for instance, on the left side from the engaging element, in the sense of a rotary locking of the double gear drive control shaft, or is provided with a second coupling ring disc disposed with an axial distance, for instance, on the right side from the engaging element, by means of an additional transmission drive driven from the crank hub with a peripheral speed higher than that of the crank hub in the sense of a bevel gear drive control shaft drive with its own driving speed surpassing the peripheral speed of the crank hub.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Werner Week Primary Examiner-William F. ODea Schwelm, Germany Assistant Examiner-Wesley S. Ratliff, Jr.

[21] Appl, No. 863,901 Attorney-ErnestG. Montague [22] Filed Oct. 6, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 12, 1971 73] A i Fi m Hamba-Maschinenfabrik Han A, ABSTRACT: An apparatus for continuous adjustment of the Muller working stroke of a driving machine, wherein the adjustment Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, Germany of the working stroke is simplified and rendered easier. A

[32] Priority Oct.7, 1968 Stroke adjustment spindle, mounted in a crank ring which is 33 G m n rigidly connected with a driven crank hub, in addition to [31] P 18 01 599.1 manual operation, is further adjustable by an adjustment drive, preferably by a bevel gear drive, movable selectively in one or in the other opposite rotary adjustment direction. This adjustment is brought about by sitting the driving or control wheel of this double gear drive at one end of a control shaft,

[54] APPARATUS FOR AN ENDLESS ADJUSTMENT F projecting axially through the driven crank hub and likewise THE WORKING STROKE OF A DRIVING driven with the latter, which control shaft is coupled for a joint MACHINE drive at its counter end and is as well axially slidable on the Claims 3 Drawing Figs latter. The control shaft receives an engaging element operable from the outside by means of an engaging lever arrested in [52] US. Cl 74/837, the ram position and manually operable which g g g 74/600 ment, depending upon the amount of the stroke adjustment,

[51] 1111. C1 ..Fl6h 35/08, cooperates either with a coupling i disc immovable in 605g l/Oo space, preferably on the side of the coupling housing, and

[50] Field of Search 74/837, disposed with an axial distance for instance, on the left Side 828) 600 from the engaging element, in the sense of a rotary locking of the double gear drive control shaft, or is provided with a [56] References Cited second coupling ring disc disposed with an axial distanceQfor UNITED STATES PATENTS instance, on the right side from the engaging element, by--,

2,319,485 5/1943 Alabrune 74/600 means of an additional transmission drive driven from the 3,116,648 1/1964 Arenhold 74/600 crank hub with a peripheral speed higher than "that of the" 3,436,988 4/1969 Simonton 74/837 crank hub in the sense ofa bevel gear drive control shaft drive 3,090,250 5/1'963 Budlong 74/600 with its own driving speedsurpassing the peripheral speed of 712,674 11/1902 Harris 74/837 the crank hub.

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INVENTOR APPARATUS FOR AN ENDLESS ADJUSTMENT OF THE WORKING STROKE OF A DRIVING MACHINE The present invention relates to an apparatus for the endless or continuous adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, as for instance of the reciprocating working stroke of the dosing pump of a filling niachine or' the like, whereby for the stroke transmission a lifter rod stroke operated by means of a crank drive is provided, which lifter rod engages on the side of the crank drive on a sliding block movable by means of an adjustment spindle.

For the setting and adjustment, respectively, of a reciprocating driving stroke of driving machines, by example also for the control of the piston stroke ofa dosing pump in filling machines or the like, it is known to adjust manually on the side of the crank drive the lifter rod performing the stroke movement, for instance a connecting rod, which is driven by a crank drive. For this purpose the connection rod engages, on the side of the crank drive, a sliding block, which sits on an adjustment spindle, extending in a direction crosswise to the longitudinal axle of the crank drive. This adjustment rod is settable by manual operation, so that the sliding block reaches a predetermined distance position to the longitudinal axis of the crank drive, whereby a predetermined working stroke is obtained.

For the setting and of the adjustment, respectively, of the connecting rod in such embodiment it is, however, unavoidably necessary, that during the setting the stroke performing driving machine must be completely put to a standstill, so that by the manually operated setting wheel the setting spindle disposed at the side of the crank drive for the sliding block can be adjusted. It is to be understood, that particularly during the adjustment of a stroke, this setting is time consuming, due to the required standstill of the machine.

it is one object of the present invention, to provide an apparatus for continuous adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, wherein the adjustment of the working stroke is simplified and rendered easier. The adjustment should be performable also during the operation of the machine.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the endless adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, wherein the stroke adjustment spindle, mounted in a crank ring which is rigidly connected with a driven crank hub, in addition to manual operation, is further adjustable by an adjustment drive, preferably by a bevel gear drive, movable selectively in one or in the other opposite rotary adjustment direction. This adjustment is brought about by sitting the driving or control wheel of this double gear drive at one end of a control shaft, projecting axially through the driven crank hub and likewise driven with the latter, which control shaft is coupled for a joint drive at its counter end and is as well axially slidable on the latter. The control shaft receives an engaging element operable from the outside by means of an engaging lever arrested in the rest position and manually operable, which engaging element, depending upon the amount of the stroke adjustment, cooperates either with a coupling ring disc immovable in space, preferably on the side of the coupling housing, and disposed with an axial distance, for instance, on the left side from the engaging element, in the sense of a rotary locking of the double gear drive control shaft, or is provided with a second coupling ring disc disposed with an axial distance, for instance, on the right side from the engaging element, by means of an additional transmission drive driven from the crank hub with a peripheral speed higher than that of the crank hub in the sense of a bevel gear drive control shaft drive with its own driving speed surpassing the peripheral speed of the crank hub.

lf now an apparatus with the features of the present invention is realized, it is possible, in accordance with the practical requirements accordingly to perform the working stroke without standstill of the operation of the machine. With this new device, it is even possible, for instance prior to the operation of the machine, to perform a kind of rough setting for the working stroke by means of the manually setting spindle, while then the final setting of the stroke can take place during the operation of the machine by the proposed drive arrange ment in accordance with the present invention.

As an example, the function of a dosing pump in filling machines should be mentioned. One can thus by the known manual setting adjust roughly the probably required pump stroke of the dosing pump and then start the filling machine operation. If now it is ascertained at the filling point or points that caused by the consistency of the goods to be filled, which can be a thin liquid or also a thick liquid substance, the desired filling height is not reached in the filling container, one can by the operation of the control drive, influencing additionally the setting spindle, perform an additional adjustment during the operation. One can then by the adjustment during the operation without difficulty adjust exactly at the filling point the corresponding filling height in the filling containers.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention, which is shown by example only, will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus designed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a bearing housing 10 for the crank drive operating a connecting rod 11, whichcrank drive is connected at the positions 12 with a machine body 13 of a driving machine, for instance. a filling machine or the like. This bearing housing 10 receives a crank hub 15, which is connected, on the one hand, rigidly with a driving wheel 16, for instance a chain gear, which cooperates with a drive chain 17.

On the other hand this crank hub 15 is rigidly connected with a crank ring 18, which has a substantially pot-shaped cross section and is passed through by the adjusting spindle 19 in the direction of its diameter, whereby the adjustment spindle 19 is mounted therein at both ends. This adjustment spin dle 19 runs through a sliding block 20, on which the connecting rod 11 engages by means of a connecting member 21. The crank ring 18 is closed up at the front side by means of a covering plate 22, so that here a drum-shaped completely capsuled body is formed.

in accordance with the present invention this adjustment spindle 19 can be influenced by an additional drive, for instance by a double gear drive 23, 24 as to its adjustment movements. For this purpose one of the two bevel gears, for instance the bevel gear 23, is rigidly connected to the adjustment spindle 19. The second bevel gear 24, serving as driving or control gear, sits at one end of a control shaft 25. This control shaft 25 extends through the crank hub 15 in axial direction and is driven with the latter. The end 25a of the control shaft pointing away from the driving bevel gear 24 is freely rotatable in a housing bearing 26 of a coupling housing 27.

Near this free end 25a of the control shaft 25, the latter turns an engagement element 28 of a coupling 28, 33, 41, which is coupled by means of a pass spline 29, on the-one hand, for rotation with the control shaft 25, however, on the other hand is mounted axially movable with the latter. This engagement body 28 is mirror-symmetric to a plane extending crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the control shaft 25 and has an annular peripheral groove 30, into which the adjustment part 31 of a double-armed manually operable engagement lever 32 engages.

Furthermore, at the inside is disposed in the coupling housing 27 a coupling ring 33 immovably in space therein.

On the end of the crank hub 15 projecting into the coupling housing 27 are disposed at first two drive gears 34 and 37 of a transmission drive 34, 35, 36 and 37. The drive gear 34 is connected by means of a wedge 38 for rotation with the crank hub 15, so that the latter turns with the crank hub with equal peripheral speed. The second drive gear 37 sits on its own running bushing 39 and carries by means of connecting screws 40 or the like coupled a second coupling ring disc 41. Caused by the intermediate transmission drive 34, 35, 36 and 37, the coupling ring disc 41 has a higher peripheral speed than that of the driven crank hub 15.

The manually operable engagement lever 32 sits on a bearing axle 42, projecting in cross-direction on the coupling housing 27, which bearing axle 42 carries at its opposite end a driver lever 43, which is coupled for joint movement with the axle 42. This driver lever 43 cooperates with an arresting device 44 arresting forcibly the lever in its rest position, which arresting device 44 can be formed, for example, of two arresting swing levers which are biased by a return spring and mounted in the coupling housing adjacent this driver lever,

The operation of the adjustment of the connecting rod 11 during the run is as follows:

In case of a nonnal operation of the machine, at first the crank drive and 18, as well as the simultaneously driven control shaft 25 turn with equal speed in the same rotary direction. Depending upon the position of the connecting rod ll to the longitudinal center axis A, a predetermined stroke is performed. It is now ascertained, that the working stroke performed by the connecting rod 111 must be changed, such change or adjustment can be performed during the operation such, that for the stroke adjustment in the one direction the engaging element 28 is moved towards the left, on the drawing FIG. 3, by means of the manual engagement lever 31 and 32, whereby the engaging element 28 cooperates with the immovable coupling ring disc 33.

In this engagement position, caused by the immovable arrangement of the coupling ring disc 33, the engaging element 28 is retained, whereby, caused by the driver coupling between the engaging element 28 and the control shaft 25, the latter is prevented from further rotation and is locked. By the further run of the driving machine, the bevel gear 23 on the adjustment spindle 19 rolls up on the now immovable control gear 24 of the bevel gear drive 23 and 24, whereby caused by the driver coupling between the bevel gear 23 and the adjustment spindle 19, the latter is moved in one of the adjustment directions, with the consequence that by the screw movement of the adjustment spindle in the sliding block axially on the adjustment spindle, the sliding block is adjusted in one of its adjustment directions, whereby also a stroke change of the connecting rod connected with this sliding block is brought about.

An adjustment movement in the other adjustment direction takes place such, that the engagement element 28, not as described before, cooperates with the immovable coupling ring disc 33, rather that, due to the movement of the engaging element 28 on the drawing in FIG. 3 towards the right, the engaging element 28 brings about engagement with the coupling ring disc 41. Due to the fact, that this coupling ring disc 41, caused by the intermediate transmission drive 3437 influencing the peripheral speed of this coupling ring disc 41, is driven with higher peripheral speed than normally the crank hub 15 and the control disc perform, by the now operative coupling of the coupling ring disc 41 by means of the engaging element 28 with the control shaft 25, a higher peripheral speed is provided than the crank hub 15 is in a position to perform. By this arrangement, the control or driving wheel 24 of the bevel gear drive driven now with greater peripheral speed, a driving speed is now transmitted to the driven bevel gear 23, which is likewise greater than the peripheral speed of the crank drive. Due to the fact that the teeth of the bevel gear 23 do not roll up any move, as in the previous case, on the teeth of thc immovable bevel gear, rather is driven by the latter, a rotary movement of the bevel gear 23 in the opposite direction, related to the first mentioned case, is brought about, so that now by the screw movement of the adjustment spindle 19 in the sliding block, the latter is also moved in opposite direction.

[n this manner it is possible to adjust the sliding block and thereby also the connecting rod in two oppositely disposed directions, whereby, on the one hand, a reduction and, on the other hand, an enlargement of the effective working stroke and of the connecting rod fl is obtained.

Further advantages of the present invention, particularly in relation to the constructive arrangement and design, result also.

in summary, it can be stated that by the invention it has been achieved, that an apparatus is created with which it is possible to adjust a working stroke also during the operation of the driving machine continuously and exactly, whereby a decisive working simplification is obtained. lt is to be understood that the shown embodiment is to be seen as one possible example of the present invention. There is a possibility, as a matter of course, to provide variations as to pertaining to its construction, which as long as they incorporate the advantages of the present invention, are to be considered as part of the present invention. The teaching of the present invention is finally applicable in all stroke-perfonning machines.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense.

lclaim:

I. An apparatus for continuous adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, as of the reciprocating working stroke ofa dosing pump ofa filling machine, comprising a crank drive,

a connecting rod movable to perform stroke movements by means of said crank drive for the stroke transmission,

an adjustment spindle,

a sliding block movable by said adjustment spindle,

said connecting rod engaging said sliding block on the side of said crank drive,

a crank ring,

said adjustment spindle being mounted in said crank ring,

the latter being rigidly connected with a driven crank hub,

said adjustment spindle being adjustable by manual operation,

an adjustment drive movable selectively in the one or in the opposite rotary adjustment direction, for additional adjustment,

said adjustment drive comprising a driving or control gear,

a driven crank hub,

a central shaft,

said driving or control gear of said adjustment drive sitting at one end of said control shaft driven with said crank huh and axially projecting through said crank hub,

an engaging element operable by an engaging lever,

said control shaft receiving at its opposite end said engaging element,

said engaging lever being arrested in resting position,

manually operable from the outside, coupled with said control shaft for joint movement as well as axially displaceable thereon,

a first coupling ring disc,

said engaging element, depending upon the amount of stroke adjustment, either cooperating with said coupling ring disc immovable on the side of the coupling housing disposed with axial distance on one side from said engaging element in the sense of a rotary blocking of said adjustment drive control shaft, or cooperating with a second coupling ring disc driven with greater peripheral speed than that of said crank hub with an additional transmis' sion drive driven by said crank hub and provided in axial distance on the opposite side of said engaging element, in the sense of an adjustment spindle control shaft drive with its own driving speed surpassing the peripheral speed of said crank hub.

2. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said crank hub comprises a hollow shaft mounting, on the one hand, on the inside, said adjustment spindle control shaft and, on the other hand. on the outside carrying drive gears of said transmission drive as well as said coupling ring disc disposed on the side of said transmission drive.

3. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement element comprises an engagement body formed mirror symmetrically to a plane disposed crosswise to said control shaft said engagement body including a ring control groove, and

a control part of said engagement lever framed as doublearmed lever engaging said ring control groove.

4. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, which includes a bearing axle for said engagement lever,

said bearing axle carries at its end remote from the engagement end ofsaid engagement lever a driven lever, and

a forced arresting device cooperating with said driver lever.

5. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, which includes an annular body mounting both ends of said stroke adjustment spindle,

said annular body has a cover plate at the endside and of pot shape in its cross section, as well as projecting through said annular body in the direction of its diameter,

said cover plate has a longitudinal slot,

a connecting member coupling said connecting rod with said sliding block disposed on the side of said adjustment spindle, and

said connecting member passing through said longitudinal slot. 

1. An apparatus for continuous adjustment of the working stroke of a driving machine, as of the reciprocating working stroke of a dosing pump of a filling machine, comprising a crank drive, a connecting rod movable to perform stroke movements by means of said crank drive for the stroke transmission, an adjustment spindle, a sliding block movable by said adjustment spindle, said connecting rod engaging said sliding block on the side of said crank drive, a crank ring, said adjustment spindle being mounted in said crank ring, the latter being rigidly connected with a driven crank hub, said adjustment spindle being adjustable by manual operation, an adjustment drive movable selectively in the one or in the opposite rotary adjustment direction, for additional adjustment, said adjustment drive comprising a driving or control gear, a driven crank hub, a central shaft, said driving or control gear of said adjustment drive sitting at one end of said control shaft driven with said crank hub and axially projecting through said crank hub, an engaging element operable by an engaging lever, said control shaft receiving at its opposite end said engaging element, said engaging lever being arrested in resting position, manually operable from the outside, coupled with said control shaft for joint movement as well as axially displaceable thereon, a first coupling ring disc, said engaging element, depending upon the amount of stroke adjustment, either cooperating with said coupling ring disc immovable on the side of the coupling housing disposed with axial distance on one side from said engaging element in the sense of a rotary blocking of said adjustment drive control shaft, or cooperating with a second coupling ring disc driven with greater peripheral speed than that of said crank hub with an additional transmission drive driven by said crank hub and provided in axial distance on the opposite side of said engaging element, in the sense of an adjustment spindle control shaft drive with its own driving speed surpassing the peripheral speed of said crank hub.
 2. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said crank hub comprises a hollow shaft mounting, on the one hand, on the inside, said adjustment spindle control shaft and, on the other hand, on the outside carrying drive gears of said transmission drive as well as said coupling ring disc disposed on the side of said transmission drive.
 3. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said engagement element comprises an engagement body formed mirror symmetrically to a plane disposed crosswise to said control shaft said engagement body including a ring control groove, and a control part of said engagement lever framed as double-armed lever engaging said ring control groove.
 4. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, which includes a bearing axle for said engagement lever, said bearing axle carries at its end remote from the engagement end of said engagement lever a driven lever, and a forced arresting device cooperating with said driver lever.
 5. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, which includes an annular body mounting both ends of said stroke adjustment spindle, said annular body has a cover plate at the endside and of pot shape in its cross section, as well as projecting through said annular body in the direction of its diameter, said cover plate has a longitudinal slot, a connecting member coupling said connecting rod with said sliding block disposed on the side of said adjustment spindle, and said connecting member passing through said longitudinal slot. 